Help Mr. Wilson

Remy’s care is costing thousands of dollars, Lowe says, although she’s received help from several quarters. If you’d like to help – and remember, even $1 can help in cases like Remy’s – here are several ways you can do so:

Renee LaBoucan, head of Animals In Need, the Canadian group poised to take Remy when he’s ready, began a FundRazr account that so far has seen about $1,400 donated.

The Facebook page Help Save Mr. Wilson has videos, photos, updates and links about Remy and his situation.

This YouTube video tells Remy’s story (it’s also viewable on the Facebook page).

Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital is taking money directly and applying it to Remy's bill. Call 949-833-9020 and speak with Sarah. More info on the hospital here.

Meet Mr. Remy Wilson. When you hear his story, I hope that, like me, you will fall in love with and want to help this dear boy.

Remy is a Pekingese who landed at the Orange County Animal Care Center in Orange. Like so many dogs, he found himself in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, noises, smells and sights.

And, like so many dogs', his story circulated on Facebook. Lisa Lowe, a Rancho Santa Margarita animal rescuer, stepped in and got Remy out of the shelter. He was bound for a Canadian rescue group that planned to find a home for him.

But something was off, Lowe told me. Remy didn't seem quite right. She took him to her vet, where he spent the night so he could be watched in a calm environment.

The next morning, Remy suffered a spinal stroke, and this formerly happy, wiggly boy found himself unable to use his back legs.

Lowe hustled him off to Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Irvine, where he was immediately seen by veterinary specialists, including Dr. Wayne Barry, a diplomate in neurology. Berry diagnosed the spinal stroke (meaning the stroke occurred not in Remy's brain but along his spine), and treatment began.

Now, things might seem hopeless for a dog who can't use his back legs. But here, as I've written before, is where the miracle that is canine comes into play.

Dogs, unlike humans, waste no time bemoaning the state of things. They accept what is and go from there. When Mr. Wilson arrived at the specialists', he could not stand or walk on his back legs.

A video posted on Lowe's Facebook page shows him hopping on his front legs but unable to put any weight on the back ones. A photo shows him looking sad (Remy might not understand that he can't use his legs, but he can understand being in the third strange place in as many days. No dog likes that amount of uncertainty.)

In his early days at the hospital, Lowe said, the staff was saying, "We have to wait and see." The prognosis, as in most such cases, was uncertain.

But everyone is hopeful that this little guy will come around.

That may be happening. Last week, a little over a week since Remy's stroke, I visited him at the hospital. I spent some time with the little guy and July Kabis, the registered veterinary technician who is fostering him and working with him on a daily basis to help him improve.

When a neurological crisis occurs, something goes wrong with the body's nervous system. (If you were reading my columns in 2005, you'll remember Jitterbug's story. My little Tibbie could not use her back legs when I rescued her because of neurological damage. She had a compressed vertebral disc that pushed on her spine. The result: Nerve impulses did not make it to her back legs, causing her to drag them. Surgery to repair the disc gave her back the use of her legs.) In Remy's case, doctors were able to determine the location of the stroke, but only time will tell how close he returns to normal.

It's possible the he will regain full function of his back legs. He isn't completely paralyzed in the back end: His tail wags like a whirligig (something that was not happening when he entered the hospital), and he's perfectly capable of controlling his potty breaks, thank you. But he can't quite get his feet to turn over onto the pads.

So he walks – and yes, he is walking, a huge improvement – on the tops of his feet. The hospital's rehabilitation department keeps him active and moving. He gets foot, leg and back massages. He walks in a water tank to prevent muscle atrophy from disuse.

He gets walked, many times a day. "I don't carry him anymore," Kabis said, except in situations where he might be in danger – crossing a street, for example. When we took him outside, we walked for about 15 minutes, and Remy kept up a good pace. Sure, we rested a bit, but overall he did not look like a dog who was heading downhill.

Quite the opposite. He's steadily climbing a hill. And lots of folks are cheering him on.

Remy's care is costing thousands of dollars, Lowe says, although she's received help from several quarters. If you'd like to help – and remember, even $1 can help in cases like Remy's – here are several ways you can do so:

•Renee LaBoucan, head of Animals In Need, the Canadian group poised to take Remy when he's ready, began a FundRazr account that so far has seen about $1,400 donated.

•The Facebook page Help Save Mr. Wilson has videos, photos, updates and links about Remy and his situation. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Save-Mr-Wilson/429316697162662

This is Mr. Remy Wilson when he was at the Orange County Animal Care Center.
Remy Wilson suffered a spinal stroke shortly after leaving the Orange County Animal Care Center. He is recovering at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital. His hospital bills are in the thousands of dollars.
Remy is starting to wag his tail on his own but still requires assistance to move about. He cannot walk on the bottoms of his feet and receives support to hold his body upright.

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